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MaRS + Bitmaker: Weekend tech 101s

It’s a no-brainer: success in the digital economy requires digital skills. We believe everyone can learn the skills to succeed in this economy – that belief is at the core of our mission.

But how can you take the first steps? We developed our 101 series of weekend bootcamps to make that first step easier and more powerful than ever. We’re happy to announce we’re bringing these awesome weekends to MaRS!

What you can learn

Programming 101 guides you from HTML + CSS essentials all the way to JavaScript fundamentals. You’ll get hours of hands-on time building an interactive site that uses AJAX and jQuery.

UX 101 teaches you some core tools that will take you from sketch to mockup to prototype. This hands-on tour of user experience design will teach you the process and vocabulary of user-centered design.

Why you should learn it

You don’t have to look hard to find examples of called for digital adoption. At last month’s World Economic Forum, leaders around the world called for more thoughtful action towards stronger digital adoption. This month, Jim Balsillie’s criticized our government’s ‘non-innovative innovation policy.’

The importance of digital adoption is hardly news, but it’s nice to see action being taken here at home.

Last month, B.C’s government unveiled plans to introduce computer programming into its curriculum, teaching the basics of coding to K-12 students. South of the border, President Obama is calling for over $4 billion in spending to deliver a similar change to the curriculum across the entire country.

But what about here in Ontario? Premier Wynne hosted a summit on January 20th to announce a new taskforce to tackle this problem. There is a clear need from government, industry, and educational providers to invest time and energy into technology education at all levels.

Solving today’s (and tomorrow’s) problems today

We’ve seen the demand for tech training evolve and expand since we started taking on Toronto's skill gaps in 2012.

Bitmakers are becoming more diverse: university students looking to compliment a business or liberal arts degree, financial institutions training teams in new languages, managers looking to speak the language, and entrepreneurs wanting to leverage their ideas.

We’re excited to welcome the amazing, technology-driven community of enthusiasts at MaRS into this network of learners.